Diana
by SuperYJediCupcakes
Summary: What if Artemis had a daughter no one knew about? What if this was the reason she disappeared at age 17? What if she kept her true past hidden to her daughter? What if one day Artemis mysteriously vanishes and all her daughter has is super speed and a necklace? How will Diana find her place in this world she's been forced into? Spitfire Cover art by Lissy-Goode on Deviantart
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, because if I did, there would be a Season 3. The only thing that belongs to me is Diana Iris Nguyen. Please leave a review if you'd like to see this story continue. I'm not fragile, so criticize all you want. If you see any grammar/spelling errors, please point them out. I do try to check, but I'm human and not perfect. Finally, I'd like to thank The Missing X. Their story, _My Own Aster_, inspired me to do a Spitfire take on the story. Check out that amazing fanfic. s/10456050/1/My-Own-Aster

-SuperYJediCupcakes

Introduction

Sometimes she wondered if she made the right choice. Given the circumstances, she thought she had. After all, it was a mother's instinct to protect her child. She ran away at age 17, never looking behind her. Looking back upon it, it wasn't her brightest moment.

Around here, people called her Lian, not Artemis. They didn't know her former status as a hero, her connection to the Justice League or the Team. No one knew. Artemis intended for it to stay that way.

It was dangerous to keep her face out in the open, but she stayed away from heroes and villains. Artemis wasn't concerned about her safety; no, she could handle her own in a fight. She was concerned for her daughter's safety.

She did everything to protect her daughter. She never let her stay home alone for long, or venture outside of their small apartment in San Francisco by herself.

This was her life now. Lian Nguyen, 29 year old consultant for a small company based in San Francisco.

To be completely honest, Artemis missed the hero gig. She missed the adrenaline rush, saving people, and seeing her hard work pay off. She hadn't given up on the whole archer thing; she never could. So on early Tuesday nights at six, while her daughter was at karate class, she would go to the edge of the city to a small camp where she could let arrows fly.

She was thankful that her daughter hadn't gained her father's abilities. After all, if Diana had super speed, it would've shown by now, right?

Diana Iris Nguyen, named after her mother and father's favorite aunt, was her everything. Diana was a bright, playful, and happy twelve-year old. She took lessons in karate, and was a blue belt. Diana also took gymnastics classes. Artemis wasn't particularly happy about the whole thing, but she wanted her daughter to able to defend herself, whether she was being mugged or attack by a super villain.

Artemis didn't have many friends here. She was friendly towards neighbors, and co-workers. Sometimes she shopping with co-worker Mia Carlson, but they weren't close. Not like a certain magician or Martian. Diana had friends, but she wasn't popular at school. She had a best friend, Macy Keith, who was a nice young lady in Diana's grade.

Diana was in seventh grade, and smart. Not grade-skipping smart, but she got along just fine. Placed in advanced classes plus one high school credit class, Diana coped. In addition to English, Diana was fluent in Spanish and Vietnam. She was very athletic, participating in volleyball for Cuthbertson Middle School. Artemis had made sure to keep her daughter away from cross country or track. She was afraid that if Diana was running fast enough, she would break the sound barrier in her sneakers.

Sometimes, when Diana was younger, kids bullied her because of her absent father figure. This was especially bad around Father's Day. Artemis had always told Diana that her father just abandoned them when she was pregnant. This wasn't true; it was the other way around.

Artemis hated to admit it, but Diana was a lot like her father, Wally West. They both had red hair, green eyes, a love of food, and they were both science geeks. Diana was the science queen of her school. She didn't believe anything unless it had proven fact behind it. She was also sarcastic, and quick with her mouth.

"Diana, how was karate class?" Artemis asked her daughter as they drove home.

"Oh, it was alright. I drop-kicked one girl hard, but that was it," Diana replied, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"How was school, then?" She asked.

"Same as always, I suppose. I had to disprove Mrs. Rainey's theory on helium and nitrogen formulas again. Somebody should check that woman's degree in chemistry," the redhead said, trying to stifle a laugh.

Artemis sighed. "Diana, I've told you to stop doing that. One of these days, Mrs. Rainey will give you detention for talking back."

"Rainey? Really? I seriously doubt it. She enjoys a good debate," Diana responded, and put her earbuds in.

When they arrived home, Artemis fixed a small pasta dish and some garlic bread for dinner.

"Do you have any homework?" she asked her daughter.

"Yeah, I've got a few math problems and some sentences to diagram. But that's all," she said.

"That's good. Maybe we can watch a Hallmark movie?" Artemis asked. She and Diana enjoyed watching chick flicks together and making fun of the situations women found themselves in.

"Sure thing, Mom. Just let me shower and finish my homework," Diana said, placing her empty plate in the sink.

"Of course, cupcake," Artemis said, kissing her daughter on the forehead.

After the credits rolled at nine fifteen, Artemis turned the TV off. "Good night, honey," she said, giving her a hug.

Diana returned the hug with "night, Mom. And tomorrow, since it's Friday, I was thinking we could watch _Baywatch. _Macy recommended it, so I want to watch it."

Artemis froze. "Is everything alright?" Diana asked, sensing some discontent. "Yes, Diana, everything's fine. I just haven't seen _Baywatch _since high school, when I embarrassed myself in front of some girls at a party," Artemis lied. "Oh, okay," the ginger said, not believing her mother. But not wanting to press the matter, she headed off to bed.

"I miss you, Baywatch. I wish we could be together," Artemis said quietly, turning the lights off and heading upstairs.

So there it is, ladies and gentlemen! Post a review or PM me, I'd appreciate any sort of feedback!

Thanks,

-SuperYJediCupcakes


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Young Justice, but sadly, I don't. A/N: And here it is, ladies and gentlemen! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited the last chapter. I wasn't expecting anything to come out of the introduction, and I wasn't sure if readers would like it. But y'all changed my mind, so here's the next chapter.

The next day, after chatting with a neighborhood girl named Stacy Monroe on the bus, Diana stepped off the bus and into Cuthbertson Middle School. CMS was located on the edge of the city, and had high-security. Nobody got in without ID, and the campus was enclosed with a fence. In Diana's eyes, it was the perfect place to send your kid if you were super overprotective like Lian Nguyen was.

It was just another typical day until lunch, when Chloe Steele and her crew bounced up to Diana and Macy's table. Personally, Diana loathed Chloe Steele. She constantly harassed Diana about the lack of a fatherly figure in her life.

"Look what the trash has brought today," Macy said quietly to the redhead.

"I know. She's such a jerk. I just wanna beat the crap out of her," Diana replied.

"Hello, ladies. What's for lunch today?" Chloe asked with a smirk. She usually went through their lunches, grabbing the good stuff.

But today, Diana had enough. Standing up, she said "Chloe, we have nothing to give you. Now leave. You're not wanted here."

Chloe glared intensely, and then put that smirk back on her face. "I see what the problem is here. You're just jealous of everyone else at this school. You want to be popular. But you can't, because your father left you. He abandoned you. Probably for another woman; for all you know he's got another, better, improved family in New York."

Diana bit her tongue back. "Aw, poor baby doesn't have a reply," the brunette said.

Suddenly, Diana was in Chloe's face. "You better shut up, Steele."

"Or what? You'll call daddy? Oh wait, Daddy can't save you because he doesn't care,"

Taking a deep breath and not thinking clearly, Diana grabbed a bottle of ketchup lying on the table. She sprayed it all over Chloe, who screamed.

"You freak! What's wrong with you?"

The cafeteria duty teachers instantly rushed over. "What happened here?" Mr. Wilson asked.

"I was just coming to see if Diana or Macy had the chapter we're supposed to read for social studies, and Diana goes ballistic! She sprayed ketchup all over me for no reason! I mean, a simple no would have been sufficient," Chloe lied, on the verge of fake tears.

Mr. Wilson stared at Diana intensely. "Miss Nguyen, is what Miss Steele's saying true?"

Diana was appalled. "No, Mr. Wilson, that's not what happened at all!"

"Regardless, Miss Nguyen, you'll have to come with me."

So Mr. Wilson escorted Diana to the office, where she said in Principal Breckenridge's personal office.

"Miss Nguyen, I'm very surprised to see you here," she said, taking a sip of coffee. "I've reviewed your record, and you haven't gotten in trouble before. A straight-A student, doing just fine in her classes ends up in my office. Want to explain why?"

"Principal Breckenridge, Chloe's story is a lie. She came over to my table, and wanted our food. I declined, and she began teasing me. She said that my father had a whole other family in New York, and I'm the reason he abandoned me and my mother. I kinda lost my temper and sprayed ketchup all over her. She's always been teasing me about my absent father. I just figured it was time to get even," Diana said, staring straight into the older woman's eyes.

Principal Breckenridge considered this for a moment. "Diana, I've heard all about your situation. You've never gotten in trouble before, so I'm only going to suspend you for one day. Please collect your belongings and return to school on Tuesday. If I or any other faculty member sees you on campus today or Monday, you will be suspended further. I expect you to email your teachers and complete any assignments they have assigned. I also expect you to write a full-page apology note to Miss Steele, and give it to her on Tuesday."

Diana's eyes widened, and she gasped. But she didn't argue, for fear of disappointing her mom further. "Yes, Principal Breckenridge. I'll do as you say."

"Thank you, Diana. Please, stay out of trouble. It'd be a shame for you to earn another day of suspension."

With that, Diana left the principal's office. She gathered her belongings from her locker, and texted Macy what happened. As she walked out of the school, she wondered what her mother would think. Surely she'd be very disappointed. Diana hated, more than anything, making her mother disappointed. It was worse than her being angry. Eventually, Diana reached the school gate, where the security guard let her through. The apartment was only five blocks away, and it was daylight, so Diana didn't have to worry about calling her mom to pick her up. When she arrived home, the front door was open.

"Mom?" she called, raising an eyebrow.

Continuing into the apartment, she discovered a small trail of blood leading to the master bedroom. Diana's heart began beating faster. She dropped the backpack, and crept into her mom's bedroom. She creaked open the door, where the overwhelming mixture of blood and smoke drifted into her nose.

There had been some sort of skirmish. The walls were scorched, and several giant dents lined the furniture. Several arrows were scattered throughout the room, and a bow was lying on the floor. Since when did her mom do archery? This was more confusing by the second.

But what troubled Diana the most was the pool of blood on the bed.

"Mom, what happened here?" she called, desperately wanting a response. She looked around the room, and discovered a necklace on the dresser. Curiously, she picked it up. It was a simple black chain, with an emblem on it. Looking closer, Diana realized that the emblem was a crossover between an arrow, and a logo she'd seen before.

"Since when does Mom have a necklace with Green Arrow's and the Flash's logos on it?"

Hahaha, cliffy! Sorry about this, I just wanted to post a small chapter. School's been crazy, so I hope you like small scattered chapters instead of every other week long chapters. Review for a cookie?

-SuperYJediCupcakes


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who favorited/reviewed/followed last chapter! I don't own Young Justice. And in case you were wondering, imagine the necklace pendant to look like the Arrow/Flash crossover logo, but Young Justice styled.

Diana backed away from the necklace, and curled up into a ball on the floor. Her head was spinning with so many thoughts. It was worse than when she got headaches for simply being in Ms. Rosenthal's advanced English class. _Where was her mother? What had happened in the bedroom? Why weren't the cops all over this? Did this have something to do with her father? Was,_ Diana swallowed, _her mother alive? _

She shook the thoughts out of her head. She reviewed the previous night's occurrences, along with everything that had happened. Her mother hadn't been acting weird, so she must have been caught off guard.

Shaking, terrified, and worried, Diana slowly got to her feet. She walked over the dresser, and picked the necklace up by the chain. She stared at it for a moment, and something clicked. The redhead dropped the necklace, and whipped out her phone. It was one-thirty by this point, and the teen knew exactly who to call for information. She scrolled through her recent texts, and found one from Jackie Que, the human encyclopedia for superhero knowledge.

Diana hit call, and Jackie picked up on second ring. "Hey, Diana, where are you?" she asked. Jackie and Diana had fifth period together, and on some days they had P.E. and others study hall. Lucky for Diana, it was a study hall day.

"I got suspended for squirting ketchup on Chloe Steele. Ya know, the brunette everyone either hates or adores."

There was laughter on the other line. "Nice one, Di. Chloe Steele deserves to suffer for all the pain she causes. I mean, have you looked at her face lately? When I see her, she makes me want to rip my eyeballs out. When she talks, she makes me want to rip my ears off."

Diana laughed, and smirked. "I know, but this isn't the reason I called. Listen, I need some information," she said.

"What kind of information?" Jackie asked.

"What do you know about Green Arrow and the Flash?" Diana blurted.

So Jackie launched into a fifteen minute rant about the superheroes. But what caught Diana's attention was the fact that Green Arrow's former sidekick, Artemis, had been missing for thirteen years. And Artemis was last seen seven months before Diana was born. Diana let out a gasp. She, couldn't could she? Her mother couldn't be a superhero. It wasn't in her nature. Lian Nguyen, the woman she knew, could never hurt anyone unless they hurt her daughter. Sure, she was protective, but wasn't every parent? But as Diana pulled up a news report of the case, it confirmed her fears.

"Hey, Jackie, I've got to go. Thanks for the intel," Diana said, and hung up. She continued reading the news report, posted a long time ago. "This is overwhelming," she murmured to herself. She closed the laptop, and went over to the necklace. Taking a deep breath, she picked the necklace up by the pendant. There was a blinding flash of light, and Diana squeezed her eyes shut.

"Diana, if you're seeing this, then that can only mean one thing," her mother's voice projected. Diana opened her eyes to see a holographic image of her mother. She was wearing her Artemis costume. She looked brave, daring, bold, and stunning.

"I've been captured. First thing you need to know is who I really am. My name is actually Artemis Crock, former protégé of Green Arrow. I had a rather difficult childhood, and part of that inspired me to take on the task of defending Star City as well as Gotham City. I'm not going to go into much detail now, as I would rather tell you my origin in person. For now, you need to know several things. If you come across Sportsmaster or Cheshire, run. Run away. Do not listen to anything they say. Secondly, I want you to get out of the house. Go to the Chinese restaurant right around the corner. In the alley, there's an abandoned phone booth. Hold the pendant up to the sign that says 'phone booth.' You will be delivered to my most trusted allies. Finally, my daughter, I want you to know that I am extremely proud of you. You're smart, beautiful, courageous, and a wonderful daughter. But please, do not come looking for me. I would be crushed if you got hurt looking for me. I can't bear the very thought of it. Good luck, Diana," the hologram said, and disappeared.

Diana's mind was on overdrive trying to comprehend everything. Who were Sportsmaster and Cheshire? Why did she need to run from them? But the thought most disturbing was _why didn't Mom tell me about her past life? Did she not trust me? Was I the reason she abandoned the Justice League? Does any of this have to do with my father?_

She put the necklace over her head, and began her quest.

Meanwhile, in the cave at Mount Justice, the Team and Justice League were gathered. Today was the anniversary of Artemis's disappearance. The most affected people were Wally West and Oliver Queen. Oliver had already lost one protégé, but at least he knew Roy Harper was alright. He didn't know if Artemis was okay, or even alive. Wally was Artemis's boyfriend, and when she was reported missing, he went crazy trying to look for her. He searched for two years, before he gave up hope. He had dated another woman, Linda Park, but there was nobody like his Spitfire.

They were just talking about their first mission, when the zeta tubes suddenly activated. "Recognized: Guest, D01, authorized by Artemis, B06," the computer's voice said.

Instantly, everyone was at their feet. There stood a girl. She had bright red hair, vivid green eyes, light skin, and a few freckles on her face. She wore a pair of dark jeans, sneakers, a hoodie, and a necklace that Wally distinctly recognized. He zipped up to her, and pulled the necklace off of her.

"Who are you? Where did you get his?" he asked the girl.

"My mother gave it to me," she replied, avoiding the first question and looking him straight in the eye.

"That's certainly interesting, because I gave that necklace to my girlfriend for our first anniversary."

And another cliffy! Ha! I know, I'm a terrible person. But leave a review anyway! Next chapter might not get posted until Wednesday at the latest, because I'll be having a family Christmas with relatives up north. I'm gonna freeze my butt off, so wish me luck! -SuperYJediCupcakes


	4. Chapter 4

Special thanks to everyone who read/favorited/reviewed/followed last chapter! I don't own YJ. I'm sorry I wasn't able to update, as I spent the weekend up north for a family Christmas. I couldn't find a quiet place to write, so here's the next chapter as I'm now home. And just for your knowledge, I won't be including Bart Allen in this story. This is because of the whole time travel thing, so sorry Bart fans. I like his character, but there are continuity issues.

"Girlfriend? There's no way," Diana said, looking into the speedster's eyes, and snatching the necklace back.

"Yeah, well, it's possible, kid," Wally replied.

Suddenly, something clicked. "Wait a minute, when was the last time you saw your girlfriend?" Diana asked.

"December of 2012," Wally replied, confused.

"That's certainly funny, because I was born seven months after her disappearance," the twelve year old said.

Meanwhile, the Team and League had been watching the two gingers interact. Finally, Nightwing spoke up.

"Wally, there is a small possibility this girl may be your daughter," Nightwing stated, and Diana let out a small breath. She had just noticed the superheroes standing in the room. She instantly recognized all of them, except for the redhead she was talking to. Maybe he was the retired Kid Flash, because there was only one speedster in the room, and that was Flash.

"We're going to have to do a DNA test," Batgirl said, taking action. Batgirl pulled a small container out of her belt, and said "okay, spit in here."

So Diana obeyed, and moments later, Wally did the same. "This will take about fifteen minutes for the computer to analyze and find similarities," Nightwing informed them.

Diana was alone with her thoughts. If the former Kid Flash was her father, could she have super speed as well? Why did her mother keep her father a secret? Who left who? Where was her mother? Why was Diana not doing anything?

"The results are in. Wally, meet your daughter, Diana Iris Nguyen. Diana, meet your father, Wallace 'Wally' Rudolph West," Nightwing said, coming into the living room. There was an awkward moment of silence, until Wally sighed.

"Where is your mother? Is she alright?" he asked.

Diana ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know. I hate to say this, but I'm angry at her. She told me my father abandoned me when she told him. But you didn't even know of my existence. Anyway, I came home from school early today for reasons you need not know. But Mom wasn't there. In her bedroom, I found evidence of a skirmish. This necklace was on the dresser, and a holographic message came up. I can replay the message for you," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Please, replay the message," Zatanna said, speaking up.

So Diana placed the necklace on the ground, and fiddled with the pendant until the message played again.

Wally felt his heart break as he heard Artemis speak. She was missing, and in trouble. She was probably hurt, and caught off guard.

Diana picked the necklace up and placed it around her neck. "We've got to find my mother. She's got some questions I want answered," she declared boldly.

"I agree. But we're going to need to investigate the crime scene. Wally, Barry, Zatanna, come with me," Nightwing said.

Diana placed her hands on her hips. "I'm coming too. You don't know San Francisco like I do," she said. The four heroes exchanged uneasy looks. "She's my mother. Besides, I can handle myself," the redhead said.

"Fine. But if at any given time, we can and will pull you out," Barry said.

Diana smirked, and said "wouldn't have it any other way."

Okay, there it is! I haven't finished writing the next chapter yet, but you can expect it sometime today. See ya later! -SuperYJediCupcakes


	5. Chapter 5

As promised, here's the next chapter! I'm proud of myself for publishing it already. I don't own YJ.

So the four heroes and Diana traveled to San Francisco via zeta tube. She led them to the apartment that had been her home. "This was the last place I saw my mother this morning. She wasn't acting strange, so she was most likely no expecting an attack."

They considered this information, and began the search. They collected samples, recorded data, and took pictures. Meanwhile, Diana waited outside. They had given her the job of guard duty.

"Hello, Diana," a voice said. Diana looked up from her fingers, which she had been examining. Standing before her was a woman with dark hair, olive skin, and dark eyes. She was wearing green robes, and had weapons on her. "Cheshire!" Diana gasped, recognizing the assassin. "I know who you are. My mother warned me about you," she snarled.

"Oh, Artemis told you about me? Well, did she tell you about her family ties?" Cheshire asked, and Diana appeared confused. She laughed, and said "my sister didn't tell you about your dear aunt Jade?"

Diana gasped. "You're my aunt? There's no way!"

"Believe it, Diana. Your mother has kept many secrets from you. Allow me to enlighten you," Cheshire offered.

"Nothing you could possibly have to offer would benefit me," the redhead said.

"Is that so? Well, I know where your mother is. Is that not enough benefit?" her aunt said, and Diana looked at her shoes. "Think about it, Diana. I could help you. Call me when you are ready. Don't tell anyone about this meeting, or I may just have to hurt you." With that, Cheshire disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Diana looked at the card in her hands. She stuck it in her pocket, and headed inside. "Did you find anything helpful?" she asked the investigating heroes.

"Maybe. We'll have to take it back to Mount Justice for an analysis," Nightwing sighed. Suddenly, there was a scream. They flocked to the window, where they saw a child chasing a ball in the street in the path of an oncoming fast truck. Without thinking twice, Diana raced downstairs –all ten flights- and into the street. She quickly picked the child up, and raced him to his mother just as the truck ran over the ball, flattening it. "Riley, what were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt!" the worried mother cried.

"Sorry, Mommy," Riley said, embracing his mother. Turning her attention to Diana, she asked "who are you?"

"Nobody," Diana replied.

"I have to disagree. You saved my son. You're a gift from heaven," she said, and Diana blushed.

"It was nothing, ma'am," Diana said, and raced off to the apartment. Inside, the heroes were astonished.

"Diana, you ran fast!" Zatanna exclaimed.

"I know," she replied.

"Not just fast. Speedster fast," Nightwing said, and it dawned on Diana that she might have her father's powers.

"There is no way," she objected.

"There is a way, Diana. You saved that boy in less than a minute. With a normal person, they would still be on the stairs by the time you had the boy in your arms," Barry pointed out.

"This hasn't happened before," Diana said.

"My guess is that you simply had no need to run that fast. Therefore, when you saw the boy in danger, the gene awakened and you were able to run like a speedster," Barry said.

"We'd better get back to the cave. We've got our work cut out for us, and I'm sure Wally and Barry will want to watch you, maybe run some tests to get an idea of how fast you can move. Is that okay?" Nightwing asked.

"I don't mind. I need to know how fast I can move. It may be a key piece in helping find my mother," Diana said, and then they left the apartment.

Okay, readers, that's all for today! Have a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate. Spend some time with family, do something nice for someone, or just smile at somebody to make their day. Little things can make a big difference. Merry Christmas! –SuperYJediCupcakes


	6. Author's Note

Author's Note

This isn't a new chapter. I just feel like I need to apologize and let you guys know what's going on. I'm sorry I haven't updated since Christmas, but I have my reasons. Reason 1 is school. We've all been there, right? Reason 2 is writer's block. I probably sound bad when I say this, but I have no idea where to take the story next! And reason 3 is the one that stings most. A classmate of mine found out I like superheroes and they called me "the strangest girl ever." Then, they proceeded to ask me when my "insane obsession" would end. I've never felt more put down after hearing this. I just want to be me, but apparently the real me is strange, and not in a good way. Reason 4 is something online said about this story. They said it was the worst piece of crap they've ever read, and hoped the story got taken off the site for being terrible. I know haters are gonna hate, but this really got to me hard. For these reasons and more, I've decided to put _Diana _on hiatus until further notice. Thank you all for reviewing, following, favoriting, and simply reading. I never thought I'd ever have an audience at all. So, until next time.

-SuperYJediCupcakes


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